Football fans who tuned into pregame coverage of Super Bowl LVII on Sunday witnessed an extravagant display of patriotism and militarism.
Among the festivities was the presentation of a handful of scholarship recipients from the Pat Tillman Foundation.
The foundation's namesake, of course, is the former Arizona Cardinals defensive back who famously left the NFL to enlist in the US Army in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was later killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in April 2004.
Military officials and the NFL have long touted Tillman as the face of heroism and bravery, but they have been less than forthcoming about the specifics of his service and death.
Tillman was shot three times in the head at close range, which raises serious questions about how that could have happened. Tillman's own family has long expressed doubts that his death was merely accidental, and has pressed officials for greater transparency.
Tillman was also reported to have grown disillusioned with the US' military adventures in the Middle East, and may have been preparing to come out publicly against the war in Iraq once his service was over.
All of this was omitted on Sunday, however. The tribute obliquely mentioned that Tillman was "killed in the line of duty."
The dubious presentation was called out by many fans and journalists. At Defector, Tom Ley wrote a scathing takedown in which he argued that "The NFL Still Isn't Done Exploiting Pat Tillman's Death."
Others called it a "whitewashing," while some tried to provide additional context to set the record straight.
"No amount of information about who Tillman was, what he really believed, and how he really died are enough to trump everything the NFL gains from pairing images of him in his NFL and military uniforms." -@ToLey88 https://t.co/Z1HjHwINMK
— Drew Magary (@drewmagary) February 13, 2023
What he means is not only did U.S. forces kill Pat Tillman, but alsohigh-ranking army officers conspired to cover it up. #NFL #SuperBowl #SuperBowl2023 https://t.co/UyzO4UEPCr https://t.co/y08oha60TJ
— Imaeyen Ibanga (@iiwrites) February 13, 2023
Hey wonder how Pat Tillman died
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) February 12, 2023
I'm writing a book for FIRST GRADERS on Pat Tillman that contains more truth about his life and death than the NFL just provided at the Super Bowl.
— Andrew Maraniss (@trublu24) February 12, 2023
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
